


Shut Up, You!

by HMSquared



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Anniversary, Coming Out, Denial, First Kiss, Flashbacks, I'm still mad he's not in RID, Knock Out is the best, Laughter, Literally my favorite part of the movie, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Predacons Rising (Prime Movie), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-23 19:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20013745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HMSquared/pseuds/HMSquared
Summary: After the Autobots win, Knock Out goes to see Starscream and talk about the Decepticon’s hatred for him.





	Shut Up, You!

**Author's Note:**

> Anniversary. It's an interesting word.
> 
> Today, July 29, marks my one-year anniversary here on Archive of our Own! Because of this, I decided to go back and write the first ship I ever wrote about in the first fandom I ever wrote about.
> 
> I will always love Transformers: Prime. It holds a very special place in my heart, and writing it will always make me smile. Knock Out and Starscream are my favorite loveable villains, and they are responsible for making me love evil characters as a whole. Despite all the Ambrollins fics, I think they truly are my OTP.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> P.S. My birthday was July 5th, so that's another thing.

Knock Out was tired. The cells of the _Nemesis_ were quite uncomfortable, and there was nowhere to sleep. So that was how, when the coup began, he was lying on the floor, eyes shut and trying to rest.

A quiet banging sound had filled his audio receptors for the past twenty minutes, and it had finally started to become annoying. But as Knock Out remained still, glad he wasn't sharing his cell with any Vehicon Troopers, he realized the sound was growing louder.

There were footsteps, almost as if someone was trying to be sneaky. Covering his ears in annoyance, Knock Out rolled over to face the door. The footsteps had stopped, and now there was the sound of buttons being pressed.

The doors slid open; sitting up, Knock Out was greeted with a smirking Starscream, the remaining Vehicon troopers behind him. Rubbing his eyes, he snapped,

"What are you doing here, Starscream?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, rescuing you, idiot." Knock Out scoffed, lightly rolling his eyes. Scowling, Starscream continued, "The Autobots are trying to take down Unicron, and if they succeed, Megatron will die too!"

 _We don't know that,_ Knock Out found himself thinking. But even though it felt wrong, even though he wanted so badly not to, he found himself getting to his feet and following Starscream out into the hallway.

Three minutes later, Knock Out was standing on the bridge with the Phase Shifter on his wrist. Smokescreen was in the wall and Starscream was pointing the Immobilizer at the Autobots. So...just a usual day.

Arcee brought up a good point: even if Starscream did get rid of them, did he really expect to defeat Unicron by himself? The second-in-command's response was simple.

"I have no intention to use this warship for battle, but to get far away from this doomed planet." The snarkiness in Knock Out was rising, and what he said next changed everything.

"Earth might be nice, now that Megatron no longer seems to be calling it home." Annoyed, Starscream turned to him and snapped,

"Shut up, you! Now, move away from the controls, Bulkhead, or get stiff." As Bulkhead rose his hands in the air and Bumblebee spoke, Knock Out found himself fuming. Starscream had spoken to him like this for years, why did it matter? Why did he finally care about the seeker's comments? When the answer finally hit him, he looked up and found himself surrounded by chaos.

Someone had opened fire; who, it didn't matter. Starscream was tussling with Bumblebee over the Immobilizer, and the former was smirking,

"I will silence you forever." Knock Out's heart was pumping, and he knew exactly what he wanted. Turning on the Phase Shifter, he struck.

Bumblebee jumped away as Knock Out's hand passed through Starscream's chest and grabbed the Immobilizer. The seeker turned around, angry (and, admittingly, a little confused), but never got the chance to retaliate. Winding back, the doctor struck him, sending Starscream to the ground and snapping the Immobilizer in half.

"Knock Out, we needed that!"

Five minutes later, the Vehicon troopers were down and Starscream had been dragged (kicking and screaming) to the first empty cell. As the doors shut, Knock Out flashed his frenemy an apologetic smile. Needless to say, it wasn't returned.

"Why'd you do it, Knock Out?" Arcee asked as they walked back to the bridge. "Why'd you turn against Starscream?"

"Even if I had helped him seize this ship, he probably would have just fired me out the first airlock. Oh, and he's rude." Both statements were true, but the contempt in Knock Out's voice was not. Despite their scuffles, he still cared for Starscream; hopefully, he would get to tell him that.

The Autobots won, but not without a price: Optimus was forced to sacrifice himself, destroying Unicron forever. The Well of All-Sparks bestowed a parting gift, showering the remaining Autobots with the beautiful Sparks of everyone before them. They had prevailed.

It was truly a sight to behold, but something in Knock Out wasn't sitting right. As his new friends watched in awe, he turned and quietly drove away, back to the _Nemesis_. He still had one last thing to do.

Starscream was sitting in his cell, shivering in the cold, when the door opened. Now their positions were reversed, but unlike last time, Knock Out wasn't engineering a breakout.

"What are you doing here?" the seeker snapped. Swallowing, Knock Out stepped forward, letting the door close behind him.

"I just want to talk. That's all." Clasping his hands behind his back, he tried to come up with a viable sentence. "We won."

"Obviously," Starscream scoffed. Resisting the temptation to roll his eyes, Knock Out lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Listen, I'm sorry for betraying you, I really am. It's just that if I hadn't done so-"

"The Vehicons would have killed me," Starscream finished. When Knock Out's mouth fell open in shock, he chuckled, "I'm not a total idiot, Knock Out. The Decepticons have always loathed me, and the only reason I'm still around is because Megatron needed a chew toy." Now the medic's heart was filling with regret; if he had known, he could have done something. "But I'm guessing that's not the only reason you're here."

"Pardon?" Scooting forward ever so slightly, Starscream replied,

"There's something on your mind, Knock Out. So come on, spill."

"I..." Knock Out wasn't sure how. He couldn't even say the word. So instead he whispered, "I'm sorry," then leaned forward and kissed Starscream.

The seeker grunted in legitimate surprise, his brain instantly flashing back to one memory in particular: the day Arachnid had left for good and Cylas had passed away at her hands. He remembered hiding in a room with the medic by his side and the...very awkward conversation that had taken place. But now Starscream was rethinking all of it. Had Knock Out...actually fallen in love with him that day?

"Screamer?" He opened his eyes. Knock Out's hands were still on his cheeks, a concerned look on his face. "Everything alright?" Starscream nodded.

"When did you fall in love with me?" To his surprise, the doctor's face fell.

"I mean...I guess since Megatron fell into his coma. But a part of me always has, since, you know, I'm gay." Starscream's eyes widened; there was more pain on Knock Out's face then he had ever seen. The doctor had obviously spent a lot of time thinking about this.

"I guess that explains why you always flirted with everyone." It was a stupid comment to make and Starscream instantly winced, but to his surprise, Knock Out started laughing. He had a nice laugh, one the seeker had never heard before, and it caused him to grin.

"What about you?" Knock Out's tone was hushed, but his question still hit Starscream like a ton of bricks. Why? The denial, of course.

"Since that conversation when we were hiding from Cylas." Knock Out nodded. Crossing the room, he took Starscream's face in his hands and whispered,

"I love you, Starscream." It was the first time he had ever said the l-word...and it felt good. What also felt good was Starscream suddenly leaning forward and kissing him softly. He returned it with a chuckle, the two snapping apart when the door opened.

Thankfully, it was Arcee. Looking between the two of them, a small smirk appeared on her face. Blushing, Knock Out opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Slyly taking a hold of his fingers, Starscream cleared his throat and whispered,

"How are you, Arcee?" Surprised, she flashed him a small smile and said,

"I'm happy if you guys are happy." And this caused the biggest grin of all because, for the first time in his life, Knock Out truly was happy. Now all he wanted was to settle down with Starscream on the _Harbinger_ , because...well, because he really did enjoy Earth.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to leave a comment, it would warm my heart.


End file.
